No Hatfields, Just McCoys
by HairSprayFashionista
Summary: Leonard married Nyota and now she's pregnant. Why isn't he happy? Fluffy and fun. Not angst-ridden.
1. Supposin' We Should Have A Third One

**This is a little plot bunny that's been bouncing around in my head and it wouldn't let me continue working on my other story until I purged it so here it is. Purged. At this point, I'm leaving it as a one-shot, however, I do have ideas for turning it into a chaptered story. Or more of a multiple one-shots series if you will if enough people think they might want to read that sort of thing. :) Let me know!**

Compassion had never been Leonard McCoy's strong suit. In high school, his favorite science teacher had once told him that if they recieved a grade on empathy it would have been the only failing grade he would ever receive.

He would have loved to blame it on his ex-wife, but the fact was he was bad at handling people long before she had handled him badly. Medical school and his divorce had undoubtedly made him worse. Hardened him to the fact that if he didn't let himself start caring about someone then when they died, or disappointed you, or cheated on you with one of your best friends then it didn't hurt so bad you would think that the universe was sucking your heart out through your chest with no pain meds.

Slowly, over time, he fell into a relationship with the ship's communication officer, Nyota Uhura. About two years after her brief ill-fated tryst with the half-Vulcan science officer and second in command, Spock. Leonard wasn't sure that what he had to offer was something Nyota was interested in buying.

Turned out, not only was she interested, but she brought out a new side to "Leo", as she called him. No, he wasn't instantly cured. He didn't stop complaining, he still swore, regularly, and Lord knows he still drank, but he found himself complaining about how long it was between their private time, swearing when she did that little twist of her hips as she rode him to completion, and drinking a glass of bourbon while she curled up next to him softly breathing as he stroked her veil of hair that framed her face.

So he did what any other self-respecting doctor would do in the same situation he married the girl and knocked her up almost immediately.

No one had been more surprised than McCoy when he awoke one morning to find Nyota gone from their quarters with no note. Grumbling as he made his way through sick bay about disrespect and how you'd think that once you put a rock the size of the Orion galaxy on her hand, that a woman, who just happened to be a communications officer, could leave a note when they disappeared from the home that you shared he didn't notice her sitting at his desk for a moment.

"What're you doing here?" As usual his surly mood and taciturn attitude didn't dampen Nyota's warm and happy spirit in the least.

"Waiting for you." His eyebrow raised slightly in disbelief.

"And you couldn't wait for me in our quarters, where you left me this morning, with no explanation?" She shrugged as she made her way from behind his desk and perched on the front.

Crossing her legs demurely she responded, "I had a physical this morning."

His brow knit in confusion. "You're not due for your annual physical and why would you make an appointment to have someone give you a physical when, need I remind you, that I'm a doctor. Not just a doctor, but the Chief Medical Officer aboard this flying hunk of cursed metal?" He tossed his PADD onto the desk in a show of disgust and made to move past her.

Grabbing his hands she moved him to stand in front of her. He didn't mean to be so upset with her for things that seemed so trivial, but this is how it had started with his ex. Disappearances that she could always explain away with a shrug and a smirk and being the fool that he was he thought the smirk was because she thought he was being overprotective when in actuality she was laughing at his naive trust while she screwed other men.

"Leo, I'm pregnant." She placed his hands gently on her still taut and smooth stomach. His head snapping up to look at her eyes wide with awe and wonder. What else? Was that fear she saw swimming in the depths? He backed away slowly and disengaged his hands from her body.

"What?....I mean, how...when did you...." She finally looked a little miffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"What? You're surprised? Well, as you so thoughtfully reminded me only a few moments ago, _Leonard_, you are the Chief Medical Officer of this flying hunk of cursed metal and I'm pretty sure it was you with me on our wedding night when you said you didn't want to wait and that you weren't going to update my birth control shot because you wanted to start a family." He ran his hands through his hair as he made is way to his chair behind her.

She was right. He had said that. Had all but begged her to carry his children and not make him wait to watch her grow round with his seed, but that was what he wanted and now that he was actually getting it and he was scared. Shit less.

Now there was really going to be a human being that was half of him and half of Nyota and completely reliant on them for direction and love and he wasn't good at that stuff. He clearly had not thought this out before he had repeatedly loved his wife without a condom or birth control of any kind.

She was pregnant. His beautiful wife who loved him no matter how mean he was and who always let him watch his Ole Miss football games. She always made sure he ate and never complained about his drinking as long as he didn't get crazy. Nyota wasn't critical, or devious, or selfish. As a matter of fact, she didn't even want this at first. He had convinced her that nothing would make him happier than having children with her so she had given her consent and now he was acting like a total jerk.

As they had just pointed out, twice, he was CMO of the Enterprise, which meant one thing, experience. He knew the subtle nuances of pregnancy and the way to treat women who were going through this miraculous period, but that also meant he had years of miscarriages and still births.

Countless times of being covered in a young woman's blood and having to tell her worried husband that she or the baby or she and the baby hadn't made it. He wasn't sure which was worse and he always felt guilty for the way the words of comfort clung in his mouth and never came out right. They always seemed so hollow and mechanical coming from him. If he was Vulcan he would have rejoiced in that, but being human he simply felt woefully inadequate.

Inadequate. That single word summed up the situation. He didn't deserve Nyota or the blessings she had brought to his life, including this child, and knowing that he was terrified that in order to balance itself the universe was going to take something away. What would he do if he had to try and comfort Nyota through the loss of a child or if he had to raise a child without her?

She had made her way to the door and was about to leave when his voice stopped her.

"Nyota." Her body shuddered with the deep breath she took before she turned and when she did face him his insides clenched painfully at the tracks of tears that ran down her face. He had done this. No one to blame but himself. He immediately strode over to her. Three large strides and he had her gathered in his arms protectively.

"Baby, please, don't cry, I'm so sorry Darlin'. I just can't imagine that I deserve you, or any of this and I lost myself there for a moment. I'm sorry. Just don't upset yourself, okay? It's not good for you or the baby." She pulled herself from him and he noticed the mascara and tear smears on his blue shirt. He would wear them as a reminder of what he had done. If he could wear it on his skin as a cross to bear for making the only woman who had truly loved him cry then he would. She smiled through watery eyes at him.

"I thought you would be happy." He nodded.

"I am Baby. I'm over the moon. Can I believe that someone like you wants to stay married to me and pump out my most likely exceedingly negative little brats? No. Am I afraid I'm gonna screw this up and some how lose you or your love? Absolutely. But I'm gonna work through that because Dammit I'm a doctor, not a pussy and that's what you need right now." She shook her head and wound her arms around his neck. Rising on tip toe she pulled his head down so that their foreheads met gently.

"No, Leo. I don't need a doctor. I need my husband and the father to this child and the man that I see every night when you leave the outside world actually outside and come into our little haven. You are the man that I love. You may not be super romantic and you may not always say the perfect thing, but the love you have for me. That undying and unyielding love that I can see reflected in your eyes every time you look at me. That's deserving of everything I have to offer and more."

He nodded and kissed her softly and dropping to his knees in front of her he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him. Putting his face to her stomach and closed his eyes and breathed in the relaxing clean scent of his wife and allowed himself to enjoy this turn of good the universe was giving him. He promised in return he would only complain about how much she wouldn't let him do for her, he would only swear to love her and any children they had with everything in him, and he would only drink in the moments that were their life together.


	2. In Bridges He Burned

3 MONTHS LATER...

Leonard McCoy was exhausted. He had just finished patching up the team that had returned from the surface of the previously unexplored planet. When was Jim Kirk gonna learn to keep his friggin' mouth shut?

Never probably and since Jim couldn't stop insulting other civilizations by sleeping with their women, butchering their languages, crashing their parties, causing anarchy to their governments, and just thouroughly making a mess out of their previously peaceful existences, then he was going to have to get more patience. Better stamina. Possibly a larger medical staff.

He didn't bother to respond to either the verbal or non-verbal acknowledgements various crew members tossed his way as he strode towards his quarters. As soon as the turbolift deposited him on Deck 5 he could feel his shoulders relax. Every step closer to his quarters brought less fatigue and more excitement. He was less than 10 feet from his door when Yeoman Rand stopped him.

"Doctor McCoy." She stepped directly in his path and smiled at him in a friendly manner.

"Yeoman." He nodded stiffly and began to move around her and she shifted to block his path again.

"Doctor, I was wondering, if you aren't in too terrible of a hurry, if you could help me." McCoy had to fight the urge to roll his eyes. He hated when people did that. People always assumed that since he was a doctor he didn't mind being a doctor all the time. When were people going to realize that he was a person who had chosen medicine as his profession. When he was off-duty he wanted to be just that. Off-duty. He didn't want to spend his precious free time answering whatever asinine questions they had about some rare space disease they'd read about.

He forced himself to take a deep, calming breath. This was one of Nyota's best friends. In fact, she was throwing Nyota's baby shower and he had promised Nyota he was going to turn over a new leaf and be a kinder, gentler less jaded Leonard McCoy.

"Sure Janice, what can I do for ya?" He attempted a smile but was sure that it came off as more of grimace, but Janice didn't seem to mind. Plunging ahead with her query.

"I noticed, this morning, that I seem to be developing some red, blotchy patches on my skin. They are kind of itchy but they aren't really bumps or anything. Just irritation really. I was wondering if you knew what caused that?" McCoy wanted to scream. A rash? He was standing ten feet from the heaven and comfort of his three-month pregnant spouse who was waiting with a hot meal and a cool bed and she wanted to know what caused some "kind of itchy" rash. Anything could cause that! Hell, maybe her skin was allergic to all that annoying pink she wore all the time.

"Well, I couldn't tell ya exactly what caused it Janice without a full work up, but if it isn't that serious I'd say it's probably an allergic reaction to something. A dye or perhaps something you ate. Have you tried anything new recently?" She stared off in the distance and he could literally see her mind working as she tried to remember the steps of her day. Her eyes widened slightly when her mind settled on something.

"I did get a new body wash at the last trading station!" McCoy nodded and smiled encouragingly.

"That'd do it. I'd say you're simply allergic to one of the ingredients in the body wash. Just toss it. Stick to something that you know won't aggravate your skin. Or just take sonic showers. In the meantime, if the rash is bothering you, in sick bay, they can give you a hypo to get rid of the symptoms."

"Thank you Doctor McCoy. You know, I was just telling Nyota the other day that she's the best thing that ever happened to you. You were never so kind until you met her and that baby you've got on the way has softened you even more." McCoy was literally twitching with impatience to get past her.

"Yes, she's quite a woman and we are very excited about the baby." Janice showed no need to hurry anywhere else.

"So, how bad was the ground mission today? Heard nearly the entire team needed a trip to sick bay?" Great, now he was expected to make small talk.

"Yeah, you know Kirk." He bit out through clenched teeth and feeling that was enough punctuation to this pointless and wasteful conversation began to move past her again.

"Oh, do I ever! He always seems to get into trouble, doesn't he?" McCoy lost it.

"Look, Janice. I have now officially not seen my wife in over fifteen hours. In that time, I haven't eaten, dealt with a sick bay full of crap Jim sent my way, not slept, and have barely had time to take a piss. Now, I've stood here for five minutes of my off-duty time to answer your question that you could have asked someone who is on-duty. I'm not the only medical officer on this ship and frankly you probably could have figured that rash out for yourself with a few deductive reasoning skills. Yes, I love being a doctor and I'm always glad to help people, but I'm off-duty. How would you like it if Kirk stopped you when you were off-duty and had you bring him lunch or do some errands? You wouldn't like it. So afford others the same courtesy. Now, I'm going to my quarters, to see my wife, and if you aren't dying or looking at a limb that is no longer attached to your body don't bother me again." McCoy didn't bother to wait for Janice's reaction to his little tirade.

He simply moved past her and to his quarters. He keyed in the entry code and was instantly assualted with the scent that now plagued his home. Nyota. He could hear her softly singing as he made his way to the lounging area. Sitting on the sofa she had apparently already showered and was ready for bed. Her hair was dry, but it was wavy. It was getting long again. Her hair was already super long, but the pre-natal vitamins and hormones pregnancy produced caused it to grow like a weed. It seemed like she was constantly having to get it cut. She spent almost as much time at the ship's barber as she did in the mess hall and she practically lived in the mess now.

She was wearing his favorite outfit. Just a pair of black boy shorts and one of his tops. A long sleeve Ole Miss shirt that had stayed with him since his college days. He had to admit, she looked a hell of a lot better in it than he did. He paused behind the sofa to listen to her. She had such a soothing lovely voice.

_I, I who have nothing_

_I, I who have no one_

_Adore you, and want you so_

_I'm just a no one_

_With nothing to give you, but oh_

_I love you_

_You, you buy her diamonds_

_Bright, sparkling diamonds_

_But believe me dear when I say_

_That, you can can give her the world_

_But she'll never love you the way_

_I love you_

McCoy came around the sofa and gently placed his hands on Nyota's recently rounded belly. He nuzzled her neck and she stopped singing.

"That tickles Leo." He smiled into her skin and pulled back so he could look at her face.

"How were you today? Really tired or dizzy? Jim didn't over exert you did he?" She rolled her eyes playfully and smiled at him.

"No Doctor. I was very good today and remained calm. I did, however, eat an entire tray of brownies all by myself. Except for one, which I willed myself to save for you and it's sitting on the table with the rest of your dinner." She kissed him. He felt the universe right itself and all the stress of the day fade as his tongue stroked into her mouth and playfully tangled with hers. He groaned low in his throat and pulled her over onto his lap.

"Leo!" She squealed happily. "I believe this is how we got into this mess in the first place." She gestured towards her round belly and tried to look exasperated with the situation. McCoy grinned.

"I think you're right Darlin'." She smiled at him. And stroked the side of his face lovingly. He had dark circles under his eyes. He was working too much. That was for sure and he wouldn't stop worrying about her. Sometimes she had trouble sleeping. Now that she was pregnant, her thoughts seemed to race more and she had difficulty getting them to calm down enough for her to sleep so she had taken to walking their quarters and reading or singing to the baby.

He would get up and sit on the sofa and read medical journals or watch her. He insisted that he wasn't tired, but she knew differently and although her job was demanding and high stress it wasn't nearly as stressful as his. Plus, due to Starfleet regulations, since she was pregnant, she could no longer work longer than nine consecutive hours unless there was a life and death emergency.

She didn't want to nag him, but she was worried about him. Her thoughts must have shown on her face because Leo's voice broke her from her thoughts.

"What's wrong? Do you feel weird?" She shook her head to indicate the negative.

"I was just thinking."

"About..." He prodded gently. Her emotions were a wreck recently. She had spontaneously started crying several times on the bridge because a seemingly inocuous transmission would spark a memory of home or something and she would just break down. So much so in fact that Kirk had taken to calling her "Old Faithful" and the rest of the bridge crew always had a clean handkerchief at the ready which they could hand her without even breaking from their assigned tasks. Even Spock.

"You."

"Oh, well, that's enough to make anyone frown." She heaved herself off of him with a little difficulty.

"I'm serious Leonard." Uh oh, she said Leonard. He knew what that meant. Game face. Whenever she called him Leonard he knew to stop any extrenous thoughts that were floating through his brain and give her his undivided attention. If he answered any of her next questions in a way that did not please her then he was going to be in trouble and she was probably going to be in tears.

"You are working too many hours and too hard. I want you to cut your shifts to ten hours. Twelve maximum and then I want you to get your butt back here and get into bed and rest and if I get up in the night and feel like I need you I promise to wake you, but other than that you have to stay in bed and rest. I take a nap during lunch and eat throughout my shift at my station. It's a perk of being pregnant. Starfleet loves it's women "with child." They make all sorts of lovely exceptions for me, but not for you so you need to keep that in mind. You aren't super human. You're just regular and I like you just regular and I'm gonna be pissed if you work yourself into an early grave. So much so, that I'll make sure your kid knows that I think you were a damned fool for not heeding my warning." When she finished her rant she was breathing heavily and glaring at him with her hands on her hips. She was adorable.

"Okay." She looked suspicious.

"What?"

"Okay. I'll talk to Jim first thing, but I've got to say I can't just dictate my hours however I please. It's not my ship. I just live on it. But, I'll talk to him. He'll work with me. We'll figure it out." She nodded and grasped his hand and pulled him to a standing position.

"Come on. Your dinner's getting cold." He obediently followed her to the dining area.

----------------------------------------------

Later they laid cuddled in bed. McCoy spooning Nyota with both his arms wrapped possessively around her and his hands covering her small belly and Nyota curled into a ball fast succumbing to dream land he spoke.

"I ran into Janice in the hall today." She didn't respond for a long time and he thought she might have already fallen asleep.

"Oh?" He took a deep breath.

"Yeah, on my way here after I had just finished in sick bay. Right outside our quarters." She sighed.

"I'll apologize in the morning." God he loved this woman.


	3. Oh, It's Always A Woman

**GLAD TO HEAR THAT Y'ALL ARE LIKING THE STORY. IT HAS EVEN SURPRISED ME HOW CUTE THESE TWO ARE TOGETHER. SQUEE! :)**

**THESOUTHERNSCRIBE: Thank you so much. First review was from you and it was a great one to boot!**

**NOYOTARULES: Hopefully I can hold on to McCoy's voice. He tends to be easier for me to write since my entire family is from TN and many of them still refer to the Civil War as the War of Northern Aggression...yeah...I know....**

**ABBBY, ELEKTRALYTE, DANALEXKAYARIMAD: SQUEE! for you appreciation of cuteness and bumps for taking the time to review. **

**EVERYONE WHO IS READING/REVIEWING: If this were Legally Blonde I'd put your names in the snap cup. *snaps***

6 MONTHS INTO THE PREGNANCY...

Hell. That's what this was. Unequivocally and undeniably hell. He was torn between fascination, horniness and jealousy as he watched his largely pregnant wife eat pickles that she was dipping in chocolate sauce. It wouldn't have been so bad if they were in their quarters or if she just bit into the pickle, but Nyota had other plans. Licking and sucking around the phallic like vegetable to removed every trace of chocolate with her pretty pink tongue had his mind in the gutter.

Citing the fact that they never saw their friends anymore, because thet were hold up in their rooms all the time with McCoy doting and her eating, Nyota had announced that they were going to have dinner with everyone in the mess tonight. McCoy, of course, had protested with one of his sarcastic comments about the fact that all of them being crammed onto one star ship where they worked, lived, and played together certainly made it hard to keep in touch. The look his wife had shot towards him at that comment had him helping her up and to the door for dinner faster than you could say tribble.

Now, he found himself amazed and, if he was honest with himself, slightly nauseous as he watched his wife. A quick glance around the dining room confirmed that every male in attendance, regardless of age, origin, or sexual orientation was watching with the look of wonder and pleasure/pain reserved for truly erotic moments when the person you are watching doesn't even know how sexy they look.

Normally McCoy would get jealous. He tended to be very possessive of Nyota. One of the cons of having an absolutely gorgeous, brilliant, patient, and kind wife that everyone idolized. Tonight, however, he smiled with none too little self-satisfaction as her hand absently stroked her distended belly full of Baby Boy McCoy. "That's right fellas," he thought to himself. "You can look as much as you want, but don't even daydream about touching. Besides, you can see she's carrying my son. Game. Set. Match."

"What are you smirking at?" McCoy turned his attention to his best friend and the ship's Captain, James "Jim" Kirk.

He rubbed Nyota's belly softly. She didn't seem to notice though. Honestly, so many people stopped her and rubbed or patted her belly throughout the day she was probably immune to it. Truth be told he was one of the worst offenders. He just couldn't keep his hands off her.

He had always thought she was hands down the most beautiful woman he had ever had the pleasure of knowing, but when she started showing her pregnancy she positively glowed. Her beauty became ethereal. Leaving him in a constant state of arousal and splitting his conscious into two firmly divided sects: not to defile the innocently beautiful mother of his child and to lay claim to the body, repeatedly, of the sexy woman who was before him.

"I was just thinkin' that while you idiots drooled all over Nyota at the academy I played it cool, and look who got the girl, _Captain_." His emphasis on Captain was as sarcastic as he could make it and Jim Kirk leaned back with a look of admiration on his face.

"Yeah Bones, I know. You're the one who got her. You married her. None of the rest of us stood a chance. Except Spock of course." McCoy shot him a look. He liked it better when he pretended that the ship's Science Officer had never known his wife, in the biblical sense. "I just wanna say now though that I appreciate you stepping up to the plate and raising my kid like he was your own." McCoy frowned.

"Excuse me?" Kirk shot McCoy the infamous smirk. The one that had girls across the galaxy dropping their panties and caused some of the men he came into contact with to take to the privacy of their rooms for a quick fangirl SQUEE!

"Come on Bones. Let's be honest with each other. We both know that your wife and I have a long sorted history. Passion filled...and something like that's not gonna fade just because you toss a sparkly stone on her left hand ring finger. I know how to make her middle third string sing Sweet Virginia and I'm willing to bet in a race to the finish Kirk swimmers would come in a full body length ahead of McCoy doggie paddlers." McCoy could feel himself reaching across the table to choke that little piss ant when a voice stopped him.

"Kirk. You are so annoying. Not to mention completely disgusting. I'm going to tell you this again and since I've told you so many times in more languages than I care to list I'll say it in Federation Standard, but I'll break it down so you can take baby steps to process the information and maybe this time it'll get through the clouds up where you're daydreaming and you'll get it. I have not, I am not, and I will not ever engage in any act that could be construed as even remotely sexual with you. Even if I wasn't married to Leo, the sheer lunacy of me ever agreeing to let you lay on top of me naked is a thought that makes me not even want to finish this pickle." She bit into the aformentioned food and kept talking.

"This passion between us that you keep feeling? It's general disgust and hatred thinly veiled with duty to my Captain disguised as camaraderie. Let me just warn you though, if you ever make mention of Leonard's son being yours again I'll make sure that not only will you never have your own kid, but you won't even enjoy sex. Got it?" Kirk grasped his tray and stood from the table.

"Jeez, I was kidding." He turned his attention to the smug looking doctor. "Bones, you're a bad influence. She's positively McCoy-a-fied." He was still shaking his head in disbelief when he exited the mess hall.

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A few days later, Bones watched as Baby Boy McCoy's 3-D image projected as he performed the sonogram on his wife.

"He's so beautiful." He could hear the emotion in her voice and forced himself to not meet her eyes so he wouldn't cry. He didn't want to lose it in the middle of his own damn sick bay. He was turning into one of those damn girlie men who cried. Next thing you knew he'd be wearing the skirted uniform and using those scented body washes and that crap Sulu put in his hair. What was it called? Oh, yeah, product. She seemed to know what he was thinking and placed a reassuring hand gently on top of his own and though it caused his eyes to tear more, he didn't pull away. To hell with it, he gripped her hand tighter as the first tear fell.

When the examination was over and Nyota was about to head back to the rest of her shift on bridge McCoy stopped her.

"Have you given any thought to a name?" She looked at him thoughtfully for several moments.

"I hadn't really decided on anything that I really liked. Why? Do you have something in mind?" He tone was light and teasing, but he knew she was genuinely asking for his opinion.

"Kirk."

"Kirk has an idea for a name?" She queried.

"No, I mean, I was thinking of that name Kirk and before you say no at least let me explain." She didn't open her mouth to interrupt so he trudged ahead.

"Before I met Kirk I was in a bad way. Ex-wife, no money, no prospects and even more bitter than I was before. Kirk helped me to relax. I really believe he's the reason I stayed in Star Fleet and he kept me on this ship and if it hadn't been for his drunken attempt for a one night stand with you then I would never have met you and not only would I be miserable and alone, but I most certainly wouldn't have a son on the way." McCoy anticipated several different reactions, but he didn't anticipate his wife throwing her arms around him and kissing him passionately.

"So, Kirk McCoy?" He questioned when they had caught their breath.

"Kirk Leonard McCoy." She corrected and punctuated with one of her wide, enthusiastic smiles.

That sounded pretty damn near perfect to him.


	4. This Is The Moment

9 MONTHS AND THREE DAYS....

"Uh, Leonard, I swear to God that if you don't do something to get this kid of yours out of me soon I'm going to get a knife from the mess and cut it out myself!" McCoy tried not to laugh as his wife attempted to fit through one of the smaller doors on the Enterprise and scraped the side of her swollen stomach.

"Darlin', I told you if we get to a week overdue and he isn't showin' any signs of makin' his entrance I'll induce ya, but I don't like to rush things or use drugs when nature tends to handle these things at the best time. When he's ready he'll come." She glared at him as he helped her down the hall towards the rec room.

"Baby, you know I love you, but I'm going to kill you if you give me that "natural is best" speech one more time. Didn't I agree to have this kid naturally without any pain meds? I mean, the least you could do is put me out of my misery and get him to come out already...he's playing havoc on my back." As if to emphasis her point, Nyota's back popped as they turned the corner and she braced both hands as she waddled next to him down the hall. He did feel bad about all the back problems she was having.

Nyota was one of those unbelievably lucky women that didn't really get bigger anywhere but the belly, when they were pregnant. Her curves had taken on a slightly softer edge, but for the most part, if you saw her from the back you wouldn't think anything unusual and then she would turn around and it was all belly. McCoy thought it was adorable, just about every woman on the ship found it rather annoying, and Nyota hated being "fat", as she called it, but not for vain reasons. More for the fact that she found it difficult to move and the fact that it made it impossible for her to sleep on her stomach.

"Well, I promise to give you a back rub when we get back to our quarters this evening after I run you a long hot bath to relax you, hmmm?" McCoy pulled her towards him and placed a kiss to her temple as they entered the rec room.

"Isn't that just the cutest thing you ever saw?!?" Christine Chapel practically screeched. McCoy rolled his eyes, but didn't move away from his wife. He was damn lucky to have found someone who was so much more sensible than the other women on this warping tin can. She didn't like girlie things, she understood the difference between a traditional and a spread offense, she didn't clutter up their quarters with pointless knick-knacks, even when she started her nesting phase.

As they took their seats on one of the sofas and prepared for movie night McCoy thought back to about four months ago when he had come back to their room to find that not only had Nyota cleaned it, but she had started unpacking their things in earnest and finding a home for them.

She had set up their desks facing each other, but with a gray semi-opaque plastic board between them so that if they were both working it wouldn't be disconcerting to being staring at each other. On his side she had, apparently, gathered up his Ole Miss paraphernalia.

On the wall in a seemingly random, but eye catching arrangement was his undergrad diploma framed with his tassel, she had left his medical school diploma in his office in sickbay, a picture of him with his fraternity brothers, and an Ole Miss pennant. His desk had been neatly organized with medical journals on one side, his PADD on the other, computer center and pens stashed in a Starfleet Academy mug. What caught his eye most though was the picture. A simply framed black and white photo of Nyota was top left, near his PADD. He didn't know who had taken the picture but it was after her pregnancy had started to show and her hands were wrapped protectively around the gentle swell of her stomach, hair down and smile exuberant. She looked beautiful.

The rest of their rooms were also neat and tidy, everything organized and their wedding pictures were finally hung over the bed. Three in a row. He had to admit that Chekov had done a good job with the photography and even he noticed how young and relaxed he looked on that day. The kid had talent...even he was only seventeen and didn't know a damn thing about life.

When he had questioned her about it she had simply shrugged and replied, "I just got this urge to give us a home for the baby. Besides, at the next trading port you promised to go with me to get a crib and other essentials for the baby and I just wanted to make sure that things were as organized as possible." He half-wondered if maybe she had done this before.

"Where are you at dear husband because you certainly aren't on this sofa with me." He looked down at her leaned onto him as the movie was getting underway and smirked.

"I was thinking about how many ways I can ravish you when we get back to our room." She scrunched her face up.

"I'm huge. I feel like the Titanic, like I'm this huge ship with this tiny little rudder and any activity that requires maneuverability is pretty much a guaranteed fail at this point." He wiggled his eyebrows at her.

"Well, that just means you can't outrun me woman and who said it required any maneuverability of you?" She grinned wickedly.

"Leonard H. McCoy, as I seem to recall you put to use all the positions in repertoire from dance, gymnastics, pilates, yoga, and that ill-fated semester of cheerleading for the Academy before I was asked to retire after I decked that football player for swatting my ass after the game." Hoots and hollers behind them alerted the couple to the fact that maybe they were speaking too loudly.

"It's a comfort to know my namesake was probably made in a position I've only dreamed about. He's bound to be just like his Uncle Jim." Kirk said from somewhere close behind them. Whistles and cat calls echoed around the room and a few, "Alright McCoy!" comments were heard as well.

"Enough you idiots. Does everyone on this ship have to be a vagrant or an idiot?"

"No, we don' hav' ta Dr. McCoy, but it's much mo' fun tha' way." Scotty's accented voice called out into the darkness.

"Enough already!" Janice Rand's voice rang out. "You boys are the worst people to have around ever. This movie watching environment sucks. Next week is girls only." The party quieted down and finished watching the video.

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Retiring to their quarters McCoy made good on his promise of a warm bath and back rub for Nyota. She was sitting on the edge of the bed in only her bra and underwear and watching McCoy as he moved around the room pulling down the sheets and setting a glass of water on the nightstand for her.

"Where's your pajamas?" He asked as he moved around the room.

"They don't fit anymore." He stopped and looked at her pouting face.

"Since when?" She shrugged and climbed under the covers.

"Since weeks ago. You've been working night shift. You haven't been around to notice." McCoy noticed the hint of hurt and accusation in her voice. He ordered their lights off and slid into the bed beside her.

"Darlin', don't be angry with me. It isn't my fault where I get assigned. I get the shifts I get. Just like you do." He thought he heard a sniffle from the other side of the bed.

"I know." Her watery reply slid through the darkness. "It's just that, I feel like you're missing so much and I wanted to do this together. Completely and one hundred percent together and I don't want you to miss anything and I...I...I just miss you when you aren't there." He scooted over in the bed until he was wrapped around her completely.

"I know you do. I miss you too Darlin'. Every second I'm away. Hell, at least you can call on friends. When you aren't around I'm pretty much alone except for Jim. Apparently, my personality doesn't exactly draw people in." He heard her giggle softly and then she turned to look at him.

"You're really here, aren't you? You aren't going anywhere and you aren't going to put anything before me." McCoy had always known how badly the break-up with that genetically enhanced elf was, but she hid her hurt so well most of the time people thought it had been an amicable separation when, truth be told, it was more of a pull yourself up by your boot straps and get on with it because he's a Vulcan and he's not gonna dwell on you or your heartbreak situation.

"Not in this lifetime Darlin'." He leaned down and kissed her. All their love for each other expressed in the simply joining of their lips and tongues. As he pressed further into her body he felt a strange sensation.

"Baby..." She pulled away slightly.

"Hmmm," He questioned against her mouth as he leaned back in and captured her lips again.

"My water just broke."


	5. Come With Me Where Dreams Are Born

**BUMPS to all the reviews I received today for the other two chapters I posted. Not gonna go through everyone's name for today because I'm tired and it's bed time for me, but you know who you are and you rock my socks right off my feet!**

**This is probably the last chapter for this weekend and I'm feeling like I'm getting close to winding down here, I'm guessing 3 or 4 more shots maximum. I gotta get some work done on The Sisters Uhura and I'm on a mission to finish and old, like two years, :( Harry Potter fic hangin' out and makin' me feel guilty. **

**AVRIL DANOVA: I'm glad you can appreciate this being a Spock/Uhura shipper. And I am so glad you pointed out that error. First thing in the morning I'm reading through all the chapters for related problems. Thanks! :)**

**So, without further ado.....**

Eyeing the alien midwife's work closely McCoy glanced at Nyota's ashen complexion. She was trying to be be strong and not scream or complain too much but if the strength with which she was gripping his hand was any indication, she was in pain. He was just hoping she wasn't going to cause him any lasting nerve damage. Having two working hands was pretty crucial to his job description.

Having agreed months ago that Nyota would have a natural birth using the Betazoid midwife rather than a doctor McCoy found himself in an unusual situation. It wasn't often he was an audience to treatment in his own sickbay. Watching the telepath help Nyota without the need for much discussion set McCoy's teeth on edge. It wasn't that he didn't trust the midwife. McCoy had done numerous checks on her qualifications and even interviewed her three times before he was fully comfortable with Nyota's choice.

He just wanted to be sure everything went perfect and being on this end of the delivery was new and terrifying. He finally felt sympathy for all those fathers over the years who had annoyed him with questioning looks and a million questions about concepts they couldn't understand.

"Is she fully dialated yet?" McCoy asked the Betazoid woman. Luisa, was her name. Her expression of concentration didn't change as her gaze shifted from Nyota's center to McCoy's face, but he thought he saw amusement in her eyes when she responded.

"Just reached ten centimeters Doctor McCoy. Get ready to meet your son." She returned her gaze to Nyota who was now looking at McCoy.

"Leonard, stop bothering the midwife and do your job. Which, need I remind you, is to pay attention and coach _me_, not her!" Another contraction ripped through Nyota and she squeezed his hand even tighter than before. She noticed his grimace.

"Oh, don't even give me that look! You try it over here. I swear, you keep that little friend of yours in your pants from now on. I'm not doing this again so that you can get your rocks off and show the rest of the ship you're fertile!" He wasn't sure how to respond to that comment so he simply brushed the hair out of her face.

"Okay Nyota, I'm going to need a big push from you this time. Ready...on three. One, two, three..." Nyota sat almost completely up as she pushed.

"Uhhhhhhh!" Collapsing back in a heap she turned to her husband with tears in her eyes.

"I don't want to do this anymore Leo. I'm so tired. I'm sweaty. I need to sleep. I've got to sleep." McCoy cupped her pale face regardless of the sweat and placed his forehead on hers.

"We're so close Darlin'. Everything we've been wantin' for nearly a year is on the other side of two pushes. Now, our son is coming into the world and we gotta be there to help him. Millions of women throughout history have done this, Baby, and I can't think that you aren't as strong as them. You can do this." She nodded.

"I can do this. I will not be weak!" She turned back to Luisa with a look of fierce determination in her eyes. He knew that look well. She'd had that look the first time she'd announced to their group of friends that she was going to serve on The Enterprise, he'd seen it again when Gaila had told her that Vulcans were practically asexual and there was no way she could bed Spock, and it had been there the first night she had wanted to stay together and he had said that perhaps they should wait because he didn't want to be just a rebound to her. She never failed when she got that look.

"Good Nyota. One more time and you'll have a son." Nyota released McCoy's hand and it tingled fiercely at the rush of blood that entered the previously constricted area. Gripping the edges of the bed she gave a blood-curdling scream and fell limply against the bed. The rhythmic wails of the newborn baby filled the sickbay, but McCoy's attention was on his wife.

"Nyota! Nyota!" He gently shook her. "Why isn't she responding?" He accused the midwife.

"Because _she _is exhausted." A small voice answered him. Her looked at Nyota's eyes that were closing again. "Hold your son." She said before she began to drift asleep.

"Here is your son Doctor. It would probably be best if you allowed us to finish with the after birth and clean up. I will come to your quarters and retrieve you when she is finished." McCoy slowly nodded as he took the bundle and headed towards the doors.

He was beautiful. Lighter than his mother, but certainly darker than his father. He didn't have any hair and the sleepy eyes that greeted him were brown. He loved him already. As he stepped out of the sickbay he noticed a certain group of gentlemen lounging near the door. Jim, Sulu, Scotty, Chekov, way past his bedtime, he could tell from the yawn, and even Spock, were gathered to great the little boy.

"And who is this lil' fella?" Scotty's brogue questioned as the men gathered around.

"Introducing Kirk Leonard McCoy. This is my son. Son, this is your family." Everyone took their turns with the little boy. Kirk turned out to be a natural with him. Scotty was already talking to him about the pros of a career in engineering. Sulu and Chekov had requested the first babysitting opportunity that arose. Only Spock had seemed unsure when he held the child. McCoy didn't know if it was due to his overwhelming Vulcan strength or his thinking of what might have been with Nyota for him. And if he thought about it. He was in too good of a mood to care.

Luisa stepped out into the hall where the men were gathered and informed McCoy that Nyota was all finished and cleaned and was cleared to return to their quarters tomorrow. He was welcome to stay with her in sickbay that night or return and retrieve her first thing. Saying his good-byes McCoy grabbed his son from an enamored Jim Kirk and made his way back to the medical unit and back to his world.

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The whistling of Dixie and practically skipping McCoy had most of the Enterprise staff uneasy. Several people were concerned that he might have contracted a rare disease or been inhabited by an alien form with a much more pleasant personality. McCoy didn't care what they thought. Keying into his quarters he swept over to Nyota and kissed her soundly.

"Have you eaten yet?" She questioned after they had finished greeting each other.

"No Baby, have you?" The few weeks that had her on maternity leave with little Kirk had actually been trying. He seemed to be as fussy and difficult as his father most of the time which left Nyota little time to herself. They alternated getting up at night, but she dealt with him for most of the day. He kept her busy and breastfeeding their son and not having time to eat had her practically back to pre-baby condition in no time. McCoy figured another week or two and you wouldn't even be able to tell she had a child.

"I haven't had time. I thought I might just have the replicator make us Chinese?" McCoy nodded and stroked his hands up to rub her shoulders.

"You know. You need to rest too. I know that our son needs you and you want to do everything for him, but I need my wife...for a long time, so take care of yourself, okay?" She kissed him swiftly.

"I am. Promise. Now come on. I have to feed Kirk." He smiled. This was his favorite time of the day. McCoy settled himself on the floor with his back pressed to the sofa. After retrieving their son from his crib Nyota settled herself between his legs and began to breast feed Kirk. It was an amazing feeling, he thought, to have everything you wanted so close and wasn't it beautiful to watch his son while his wife fed him?

"Nyota..."

"Hmmm..." She responded absently. Stroking the top of their sons head where he had started to sprout some hair.

"Why did you choose me? I mean, why not Scotty or Sulu or any of the other countless idiots that follow you around with their tongue hanging out and tails waggin' eager to please?" Nyota turned slightly to face McCoy. He couldn't read her expression, but he hoped she wasn't angry.

"I don't love them." He swallowed nervously.

"I know, but I mean, why? Why don't you love them?" She smiled softly at him.

"Leo, I love you and no one else. It's because you chose me. I could see it in your eyes. Everyone else looks at me like I'm someone that they want to sleep with or someone that they want to be with. They see me as the person to look up to and you were just the opposite. You looked at me like you wanted me to be with you. It's a subtle difference, but you didn't want to define yourself by me. You wanted me, as my own person, to be with you, your own person. Not as reflections of each other, but rather as compliments. It's different and it's beautiful. Plus, that accent is sexy as hell." He grinned at her.

"Should you be cursing in front of Kirk. Don't you think that's a bad influence?" She turned back around to face the child and snorted.

"With Kirk and Scotty for uncles and you as his father, I'm sure he's already heard much worse."

He couldn't argue with that.


	6. You Decide What's Good

**thanks for being so patient for the update. **

"What the hell is your problem, Bones?" Leonard McCoy didn't bother looking up from his PADD. Jim Kirk often thought this sentence was an appropriate way to begin a conversation and having had a lot of experience with Jim it didn't surprise him in the least when, on a seemingly inocuous Wednesday afternoon, the Captain had barrelled into his office in sickbay already yelling.

"Sit down Jim." Kirk glared meacingly at his best friend of many years.

"I'm the Captain. I give the orders. Not you." McCoy tried not to look annoyed at the man that was simulataneously his best friend and the biggest pain in his ass.

"Fine. What do you want Jim?" Kirk tossed his hands in the air in utter frustration as he began pacing the small office.

"What do I want? What do I want?!?! Hmmm. Let's see. Perhaps, I would like it if you figured this out McCoy because I am sick and tired of dealing with it. Everytime I turn around Nyota is in tears. She's my head communications officer and when her work suffers my ship suffers and my ship doesn't suffer." McCoy placed his pad to the side and met Jim's eye.

"With all do respect, _Captain_," Kirk chose to ignore the sarcasm McCoy used with his title. "I think I reserve the right to work things out with my wife however I want to and whenever I want to. This doesn't concern you." He rose from his desk and headed out into sickbay. Kirk was fast on his heels.

"It concerns me when she can't go two minutes without dissolving into a teary mess at her com station and she can barely move. You shouldn't treat her that way. She's your wife. Show some respect. You can't abuse her this way and seriously think I won't intervene. I would never have thought I had to tell you what was and wasn't appropriate." McCoy was quickly getting angry, but he didn't want to snap the neck of the Captain and end up in the brig so he occupied himself by counting stock of medical supplies.

"McCoy! Your attention. That's an order!" McCoy felt himself slam down the PADD he was using to record supplies back onto the counter and turn to Kirk.

"Don't you ever, ever tell me how I can and can't touch my wife. You're my friend, yes, and Captain, and you're Kirk's godfather, but so help me God. You aren't my master. I'm a man. Not a child you can bully because you're pissed she never showed you the time of day." He turned his back to Kirk and leaning on the counter slowed his breathing. He was gonna give himself a heart attack if he didn't calm down.

"Now, what I do or don't do to my wife's body is, again, none of your business. So stay out of it." The Captain didn't say anything for a long time and McCoy heard his footsteps retreat and then a pause before they exited the lab.

"Don't you think you should consider your wife in all this? How does she feel? She isn't a canvas or a vessel for you to work out your inadequacies as a man on. If you can't stop putting your hands on her then I'll find someone to make you stop." With that Jim left the sickbay and McCoy finished his shift grumpier than anyone had seen him in a long time.

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McCoy crept into his quarters later than expected. He hoped Nyota wasn't up waiting on him. She needed to sleep anyway. She had an early shift. He crept into his son's room and felt his heart swell at his son's perfect features and little Ole Miss onesie.

He entered their bedroom to find her reading a PADD with the lights dimmed. She glanced up at him and smiled slightly before directing her attention back to her PADD.

McCoy took his shoes off and placed them in the closet. Padding over to his wife he kissed the top of her head and disappeared into the bathroom to handle his nightly routine. As he brushed his teeth and reviewed his day he had to actively fight the anger that began to rise. How dare Jim barge into his sickbay and lecture him on how he treated his wife?

If Jim should be lecturing anyone it should be Nyota. It was her fault he did what he did. If she hadn't pushed him he never would have done that. He remebered what his father had told him when he married Jocelyn, "You give her whatever she's askin' for. Even if she ain't askin' with words."

Moving into the bed beside Nyota he laid on his back and stared at the ceiling while she finished her work. She eventually laid the PADD on her nightstand. As she slid down under the covers, but did not glance at McCoy he realized that they were both in the same position and that they hadn't spoken since he entered their rooms. He opened his mouth, but couldn't think of how to broach the subject so eventually he just shut his mouth with an audible click of his teeth.

"It's not your fault. It's mine." McCoy was afraid to look at her after her soft confession.

"Dammit Nyota, I'm a doctor not some testosterone fueled asshole. I should have known better." In response Nyota simply grabbed his hand and moved it to her overly large belly.

"Leonard McCoy. Are you telling me that you regret our daughter?" He turned to her in utter shock. McCoy didn't know what to say, but when Nyota was pregnant she was different. Jim had mentioned that she cried all the time and she was due any day now. So big she was barely able to move.

"What?! Baby, no. No! I'm just wondering. I mean, Jim had a point today when he lectured me. I couldn't even keep my hands off you for two full months. The kids are going to be less than a year apart and so, by proxy, Jim and the rest of the ship have had to deal with basically two years of pregnant Nyota and worrying McCoy without a break." Nyota humphed as she snuggled down into her husband. He wrapped his arms around her as best he could with her unusual shape.

"I don't care what they think. I love you and I love Kirk and I'm going to love our daughter. So what if we're having them back to back? Last time I checked it's my body and if I'm okay with it and you're okay with it then how does it concern them? Dammit McCoy, I'm a communications officer, not a psychologist." He chuckled at her use of his catch phrase and kissed her deeply.

"Jim'll just have to find someone else to worry about. Computer, lights off."

**Don't worry all. You'll get more baby time but we're getting to a close. The McCoy Clan is almost completed. :)**


	7. Trouble Right Here In River City

**WOW! THE REVIEWS HAVE BEEN SO NICE. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO IS READING. I'M GLAD THAT THE LAST CHAPTER HAD THE DESIRED AFFECT. TRIED TO MAKE IT A SURPRISE TO THE ENDING. **

**HIDDEN RELEVANCE: THANKS! I'M GLAD YOU LIKED THAT LITTLE ONE-LINER. **

**EVERYONE ELSE YOU ROCK. WORK ALL DAY. SCHOOL ALL NIGHT AND HEROES AND GOSSIP GIRL MONDAYS SO DON'T KNOW IF THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE UP TOMORROW, BUT DEFINITELY NO LATER THAN WEDNESDAY NIGHT. :) **

**FINAL INTRO NOTE: I KNOW I PROMISED BABY STUFF. INSTEAD, SINCE IT JUST DIDN'T WORK OUT THAT WAY. I'M GOING TO POST A 5 SHORT ONE SHOT OF THE MCCOY BABIES ALL OF WHICH TAKE PLACE BETWEEN CHAPTERS 6 AND 7 OF THIS STORY. THOSE WILL GO UP AFTER THIS STORY IS COMPLETED.  
**

"Kirk Leonard McCoy, if you aren't ready in less than two minutes you aren't having a birthday party!" The oldest of the McCoy children hurriedly checked his teeth and hair to make sure they were brushed to his mother's satisfaction and bolted from his room into the living room of his family's quarters.

His mother, father, and his sister, Uhura McCoy, were all dressed and waiting. Sending a look of impatience his way his mother looked over him quickly.

"Let's go. Ya'd think ya'd wanna get to yer party on time, son, at least for the gifts and the cake. Rumor has it that Chekov actually baked it instead of usin' the replicator!" His father rubbed his the top of his son's head affectionately as the family headed towards the mess where the party was being held.

Leonard and his son leading with Nyota following close behind and the youngest McCoy, Uhura, mumbling conjugations as she scrolled through an old PADD of her mother's. Glancing back at his sister he decided that, since it was his fifteenth birthday he had a better chance of leniency from his parents.

"What are you reading BeBe?" BeBe was Kirk's nickname for his sister. When she was born, as with Kirk, their mother used to talk to her in several different languages. His father, being better at healing than hearing had only picked up one phrase, in Spanish, and began referring to little Uhura as Bonita Bebe, which basically meant pretty baby. Kirk was much to young to pronounce anything that sounded remotely close to that so when he could talk he started calling her BeBe, and it had stuck.

She didn't look up from the PADD, but did pause her mumbling to respond.

"It's Latin." He grabbed the PADD from her hands and turned his back to her while so she couldn't take it back. As she vainly reached around him to get it back he turned it several different directions in an attempt to read it.

"Why are you reading this? You don't even have school today and this is boring. It's a dead language. No one even speaks it." She finally succeeded in grasping the PADD and a tug of war ensued until he finally released the PADD and nearly sent her tumbling to the floor.

"Plenty of people speak it. Just not neanderthals. You know, you're gonna need it if you plan on getting through medical school." Kirk stuck his hands in his pockets and shrugged.

"Not going to medical school." She finally tore her attention away from the PADD.

"What?!?! Have you told Dad? Of course you haven't. He's totally going to go Bolian Striped Tigeress mad on you." This was not a conversation that Kirk wanted to have and he jogged away from his sister to catch up to his Dad.

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Music, food and drinks had been flowing through the bright blue Star Fleet decorated mess hall for the past hour and finally the crew had assembled themselves in a shape vaguely reminiscent of a semi-circle to watch Kirk open his presents.

Godfather Kirk had gifted him with a model of the Enterprise that he could build and paint. Sulu had somehow managed to find an old 20th century film called TOP GUN that he was sure the boy would enjoy. Chekov was removed from the gift giving since his cake was so good there were crew members nearly fighting over it. His parents had given him some clothes and little knick knack items he had wanted. Several of the alien crew had given him gifts from their home planets which he always enjoyed. Scotty's gift had been confiscated by his mother with an angry look. Apparently liquor was not and appropriate gift for an fifteen year old boy.

His hands grasped the last box on the gift table. It was perfectly symmetrical and perfectly wrapped. He didn't need to look at the tag to know who it was from, but he did anyway. SPOCK was written in perfect script.

Ripping the paper eagerly Kirk paused when he got the gift open. He would have gasped if he didn't think that was something girls did. Reaching gingerly into the nearly flat box he removed a Star Fleet issue blue science tunic.

"He's already got one of those Spock." The Captain's voice called somewhere close to the left of the boy.

"That is incorrect Captain. He has a blue science tunic equivalent to the CMO of a star ship. This is a blue science tunic for the Science Officer." Everyone seemed to pause and look at the tall and stoic Vulcan who stood close to the boy.

"Why would he wan' tha'? Everyone knows he's gon' be a doctor. Hell, I thin' McCoy started a payment plan at Ole Miss when he was nigh' six mon' old." A chuckle tittered through the crowd, but no one seemed to relax. Anyone who had been on the ship for over a week knew that Spock didn't do things for no reason so if he had gotten this for the McCoy boy then there had to be a reason. A logical one.

"After speaking in depth with the first born McCoy child he disclosed that he is not interested in joining the medical profession. He, in fact, is hoping to become a science officer. As I am." The sound of glass shattering could be heard. All eyes turned to McCoy whose eyes were blazing with fire.

"You wanna run that by me again hob-goblin? You coached my son into giving up medicine so he could scan plants with tri-corders and hem-and-haw about the probability of survival and calculate the time until a star goes super nova? It ain't gonna happen. Over my dead body." Moving quickly to the front where his son was sitting he grabbed the shirt from Kirk's hands, who hadn't moved during this whole exchange, and tossed it at the silent science officer. Grabbing his son and daughter McCoy headed towards the exit.

"Nyota!" He barked loudly, but didn't pause to wait. Nyota turned with an apologetic smile to the crew.

"Thank you all so much. Excuse me." She let her eyes meet Spock's for a moment before turning and exiting after her husband. He was moving so quickly the children were having trouble keeping up.

"Leo." Without pausing McCoy yelled back at his wife.

"Not now!" Nyota McCoy knew what that meant. Over the years of their relationship she, and her husband, had come to a very specific understanding of situations you could push and situations that you couldn't. This was definitely a time when she couldn't push. She would just have to wait until Leonard calmed.

Entering their quarters McCoy finally released his death grip on the kids and whirled accusingly to Kirk.

"Is what that no good pointy-eared self-righteous bastard said true? Do you really not want to be a doctor?" Kirk could see that although his father seemed angry he was actually upset and a little scared that his only son didn't want to follow in his father's foot steps and Kirk knew that when his dad was hurt or didn't know what to do he fell back on gruffness and anger.

Kirk didn't answer. McCoy's shoulders visibly drooped about three inches and he turned to walk into his bedroom. He paused and turned to Uhura.

"What about you? You gonna take up fencing and become a helmsman and break your mother's heart." Uhura blinked back the tears she could feel pricking behind her large brown eyes.

"I still love languages Daddy." He nodded slightly and entered the bedroom shutting the door.

Nyota went quickly to Kirk he was clenching and unclenching his fists. A behavior he had retained since he was very small that usually preceded intense anger. This time was no different.

"I know Dad's angry mom, but I'm not going to be a doctor?" Nyota grasped her son's hands and smiled into his face.

"You do whatever makes you happy my darling. Your father will come around. You just surprised him that's all. And going behind his back to Mr. Spock probably was not the wisest way to handle the situation." Kirk grinned at his mother as he blushed slightly.

"I'm sorry, but he didn't even give me a chance to explain. You saw how mad he was at me." Nyota patted her son's head reassuringly.

"He's not really mad at you. His feelings are hurt. Now, why don't you take your sister and go back and thank everyone at the party. Gather up your gifts and come straight back here. Understood?" Kirk nodded and grasped his sister's hand pulling me towards the door.

"I still love languages Momma. Don't let your heart break, okay?" Little Uhura pulled away from her brother and ran throwing her arms around her mother waist. Bending down to kiss Uhura's head Nyota wiped her daughter's tears.

"You are incapable of breaking my heart BeBe. I don't care if you decide to become an engineer or a nurse. You be happy, okay?" Uhura nodded and sniffled. She headed back to Kirk who wrapped his arm around her shoulder and they went down the hall good naturedly arguing about which one of them was smarter.

Taking a deep breath Nyota opened the door to the bedroom she shared with Leo. She saw him immediately. Tunic laying on the floor in a heap and his head in his hands. She moved into the room.

"Well, now that the pity parade has gone through town, would you like to tell me who the _hell_ you think you are to talk to _my_ children that way?"

**PART TWO SHOULD BE UP SOON. THIS WAS JUST TOO HUGE FOR ONE CHAPTER. :)  
**


	8. You Were Your Daddy's Son

**GOT OUT OF CLASS EARLY TONIGHT SO I GOT THIS CHAPTER DONE A LITTLE FASTER THAN USUAL. LUCKY DUCKYS!**

**THANKS FOR ALL THE REVIEWS...AH, YA KEEP ME YOUNG! **

McCoy could only recall making his wife this angry once before in their marriage and it had almost led to a divorce. Normally, that would have been enough to snap him out of his mood and onto his knees, but today, with pride bruised and ego battered he wasn't about to give up what was left to her.

"_Your_ children? Is there something you need to tell me Nyota?" McCoy deflected the attention back onto his wife.

"You mean other than the fact that you are being a horrible person? Sure, but the paternity of Uhura and Kirk isn't the conversation we're having right now." McCoy got up from the bed and moved to the whiskey he hardly ever drank anymore and poured himself a glass. After draining nearly half of the glass' contents he turned back to his wife.

"Cute Nyota. Look, I don't really have the energy to do this right now..." Nyota marched towards him and grabbed the glass. Pouring the remaining liquor down the drain in their bathroom she slammed the glass onto the counter.

"I don't really give a damn what you have the energy for! Can you even hear yourself? You just ruined your son's birthday and had Uhura in tears. What's your problem? He doesn't want to be a doctor. So what? He's still your son." McCoy glared at his wife.

"My son." She could have sworn that was a snort or derision coming from her husband. She grit her teeth in an attempt not to yell.

"Yes, your son and he loves...." McCoy held up his hand to cut off his wife's tirade.

"Don't give me some he loves me so I should accept his choice bullshit speech Nyota. He went to that Vulcan excuse for a First Officer behind my back. That's not love or respect. Not that I'm sure you mind that he went to Spock. He was your first choice after all." Nyota refused to allow that to reach her heart. If she let that comment penetrate her now she'd start crying and she wasn't going to give up this fight that easily.

"Is that what this is about? The fact that I had a boyfriend before you?! Grow up! This is your son! He needs you and if you can't see beyond your own selfishness then you aren't the man I thought you were." McCoy swallowed the lump in his throat. He didn't know what to do or say. It seemed like everything he had fought for since he married Nyota was in great danger of falling into an abyss that he couldn't save it from.

He sat on the bed and placed his head back into his hands. Nyota strode to the door to leave the bedroom.

"Your son will be back with the gifts from his party that the crew was so kind to throw him. I suggest, and by suggest I mean demand, that you get yourself in check and talk to him. You at least owe him the chance to explain his choice to you. But, _McCoy_, let's get one thing straight. Regardless of his reasons _my_ son will do whatever he wants to do with his life, and trust me, you don't want to fight me on this one." She exited the room and for once McCoy was glad the ship had automatic sliding doors rather than old fashioned ones with handles or he was sure she would have slammed it right off of it's hinges.

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"How can you just sit there and study that like you aren't upset Uhura?" Kirk reclined on his sister's bed as she sat on the floor impossibly erect and studied another PADD. He always found her space to be a comfort. Probably because she was neat to a fault and he was so messy he usually couldn't tell his clean clothes from his dirty ones.

"_Du vravshal srashiv t'Kolinahr_." Kirk rolled his eyes at the ceiling. The effect was lost on his sister since he was laying on his back and not facing her. Not that she glanced up from her work anyway.

"Don't use your geek speak on me. Say something useful. Dad's about to disown me over the whole science officer instead of doctor business. I know you're used to being the golden child, but if you could just show a little sympathy for your soon to be homeless older brother it might make me hate you less for being so perfect."

"_Kling akhlami buhfik, Kirk_."

"Okay, I give up. Just live in nerd world forever, but word of advice Sis. If you ever want a boyfriend, I mean, you do like boy's right?!?" Uhura stuck her tongue out and made an unattractive face at her brother.

"What?!? Just checking. At the rate you study I thought you might be in love with your handheld translator or something." Dodging the pillow she tossed at his head he laughed as he scrambled toward her door.

"The point is, Sis, that no guy who is half-decent looking is ever gonna date you if you don't do something besides study. You're a Valedi-Vulcan!" Uhura nearly screeched in sisterly rage. He always called her that awful name.

"I am not a Valedi-Vulcan! Valedi-Vulcan's are losers that are not socially or emotionally inclined in the least. I am well adjusted socially, intellectually, and emotionally. I'm going to tell Mom and Dad if you don't stop using that horrible nickname!" Kirk held up the Vulcan salute as he exited her quarters.

Calling over his shoulder, "Telling Mom and Dad? How _logical_ of you." Uhura gave a hand gesture that was decidedly less diplomatic.

Kirk entered his room still chuckling at his antics and the way his sister's voice carried as she no doubt cursed him in all the Federation languages and some Klingon if he wasn't mistaken. She was lucky Mom was still making apologies to the rest of the crew or she'd be grounded until she graduated Star Fleet.

Just like that Kirk lost his good mood. Here he was. On his fifteenth birthday and not only were his parent's fighting, but he had no idea how it was going to get better.

He door swished open and the man he'd admired his whole life stepped into the room. Kirk wasn't sure what to say and apparently neither was his father. Standing and staring at each other like a planet that came up on the bridge's viewscreen unexpectedly time seemed to stretch endlessly.

"We should talk." Kirk didn't respond to his father, but moved to sit on the bed and tried to fix his face into a mask of impassivity.

"Look, Kirk, this is hard. Ya...well, ya gotta understand where your old man's comin' from. Your whole life the plan has been for you ta follow in my steps and be a doctor." Kirk shook his head.

"I know Dad, but that was your plan. That was what you wanted and I was too young to know what I wanted, other than making you happy. Even as young as I was I knew that me being a doctor would make you happy." McCoy grunted and pulled the seat out at Kirk's desk. Dropping into it he leaned back and looked at his son and noticed for the first time how grown-up he was getting. He was almost a man.

Holy God! If he was almost a man then Uhura was almost a woman. That meant, boys and men. Damn if he didn't need to focus. He was not equipped to deal with guys hormones for his little girl and his son's apparent affection for Spock at the same time. He was libel to infect the entire crew with Andorian shingles so they could feel a portion of his torment.

"So, you want to be like Spock?" Kirk shook his head.

"No, look, I don't want to be like anybody. I want to be like me, but I want to do what Spock does. Me wanting to be a science officer doesn't mean you failed Dad. It just means I want to be a science officer. It has nothing to do with me liking Spock better and it doesn't have anything to do with the fact that Mom used to date him." McCoy wondered how deeply his blush showed to his son.

"Then what does it mean?" Kirk seemed to get frustrated for the first time in the conversation.

"I don't know Dad! Like Mom says when we read poetry, sometimes a flower is a lover and sometimes a flower is just a flower." McCoy scrunched his face in concentration.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? I'm a doctor, Son, not a poet, and I thought you wanted to be a science officer. What are ya talkin' about flowers for?" Kirk took one look at his father's frustrated face and burst into laughter. McCoy, although, stunned was glad to see that apparently, he hadn't entirely ruined his son's fifteenth birthday. Once he had gotten some semblance of control over himself Kirk smiled at his father.

"I'm sorry you had to find out like that in front of everyone Dad. I should have talked to you first." McCoy shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm a hard old bastard. I can't expect you kids to confide everything to me. Your mother is better for that, but thank you for the apology son. I appreciate it." Kirk and McCoy stood and after looking at each other awkwardly for a moment hugged.

It was unlike any hug they had ever shared before. McCoy noticed that his son was nearly his height and he was filling out. Already becoming a more solid man instead of an awkward gangly child and Kirk found that he didn't have to stand on the balls of his feet to make the hug more comfortable and had his Dad always been that small?

Both realized that they had transitioned to a new stage in their relationship and the bridge behind them was ash that could never again be crossed.

A knock on the door caused the men to jump back from the hug and grin at each other sheepishly for being so easily startled. Uhura stepped into the room.

"What's wrong with you two?" She glanced suspiciously from her brother to her father.

"Nothing BeBe. What do you want?" She glanced between them a couple of times before she responded.

"Mom says we should finish off the cake so it doesn't get stale." She waited as her father exited the room and fell into step beside her brother.

"What happened?" He turned to his sister and rolled his eyes.

"You're as bad as an Orion waitress!" He flipped her the nose. Orion waitresses, being notrious for their over curiosity and insinuating themselves into the conversations and plans of their customers.

"Ow! I was just concerned. That's all." He stopped and she paused beside him. Studying her intently he reached out placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Awww, Sis, you are so sweet." Catching her in a head lock he ruffled her long hair and pulled out her headband causing her hair to simultaneously stick up on top and cascade in front of her.

"Uh, you smelly, dirty Terran! Give me my headband!" Laughing and smacking each other, and walls, they finally made it into the dining area where their parents were indulging in a couple pieces of Chekov's amazingly moist recipe for Kirk's birthday cake.

Nyota shot them both a look that immediately resulted in Uhura's returned headband and order being restored to the once calm McCoy household. The kids grabbed a piece of cake each and began to excitedly chat as they ate.

Eventually McCoy and his daughter were in conversation about what languages she was going to take up next and Nyota was able to discreetly slide next to her son.

"So, did you and your father work it out?" Kirk shrugged.

"Of course. He was actually way cooler about it that I thought he would be. Pretty mellow. You didn't force him to chug a Cardassian Sunrise before he talked to me did you?" Nyota smirked as she shoved another bite of cake in her mouth.

"You know," she started as she swallowed. "The way you handled that entire situation. Going behind your father's back, and mine, was completely disrespectful and showed an utter lack of maturity." Kirk nodded solemnly.

"Yeah, I know."

"Good, then you won't object when you're grounded, for two weeks starting tomorrow. That includes laundry duty young man." She smiled in triumph as she moved away from Kirk's crestfallen countenance.

"Kirk?" He fought valiantly to hide his displeasure at his punishment with the hopes of escaping more chores.

"Yes ma'am?" She smiled at the phrases he had picked up from his father.

"When did you decide you didn't want to be a doctor?" Kirk paused for a moment.

"I guess it was the day Uncle Kirk came back from that landing party and everyone thought he was gonna die, but Dad said, 'No, dammit, I didn't make friends with you and fight with you for you to die out in space on this cursed ship before you've really lived.' And he brought Uncle Kirk back. He was amazing and even the other doctor's and nurses were in awe of him. I think right then I realized that I was never going to be as good as Dad. No one could. He was then and still is the best doctor in the universe. I'm convinced of that and nothing anyone did or said could change my mind. I guess I just feel like what's the point of doing something you can't improve on. Now science officer, there have been great science officers, like Uncle Spock, but I think I can do better. Besides, I just don't have the head for Engineering...or the accent." Kirk glanced down at the crumbs on his empty dish.

"Silly I guess, huh?" He glanced at his mother who's eyes were oddly shiny.

"No Kirk, that's one of the best reasons I've ever heard for anything." Suddenly Uhura bounded over to him and socked him in the arm.

"Come on...if we hurry we can catch Uncle Spock before meditation and get your shirt back!" She grabbed the plate from his hand and desposited both the plates in their father's arms. The teens were out the door in a whirlwind of color, sound and appendages before the McCoy's could say, "Don't play tag in the turbolifts."

Nyota glanced at her husband who was fighting a losing battle with his own tears.

"So, I guess you heard that?" She mumbled through a watery smile.

Not trusting his own voice Leonard McCoy just nodded.

"What do you say we make-up too?" McCoy tossed the plates he held into the cleaning chute along with Nyota's. Pulling her towards the bedroom he turned to face her.

"Well, Darlin', you know, I've always been of the opinion that actions speak louder than words."

**TWO MORE CHAPTERS AND MCCOYS WILL BE PUT TO REST. IN PEACE OF COURSE. :)**

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_Du vravshal srashiv t'Kolinahr_-You have not yet attained Kolinahr

_Kling akhlami buhfik, Kirk_- Nobody's perfect, Kirk

:)


	9. Fortune Favors The Brave

**ENJOY! ;)**

McCoy glared at the bubbly girl welcoming everyone to the Starfleet Academy near his son's dorm. Glancing at Kirk he noticed the boy's excitement even though he was desperately trying to appear cool and aloof. His son, first born, only boy was leaving the world that he knew, the U.S.S. Enterprise, for Terra Firma, the Starfleet Academy.

Nyota was valiantly fighting back tears and keeping an eye on little Ella. The second activity definitely taking up the majority of her time. Ella giggled and laughed as Uhura chased her around the lawn area.

"Alright, now everybody keep close and let's find Kirk's dorm and then get some real food!" Ella squealed in delight as Uhura finally caught her and swung her onto her back. Walking across the lawn Nyota was taking in the school and commenting on things that had changed and things that hadn't since she and Leonard had been there.

"Well, the uniforms certainly haven't changed." Leonard groused as he nodded at a girl racing pass oblivious to the fact that her academy uniform was not meant for running. That's what her regulation gym clothing was for. Finally coming to the dorm that was designated for Kirk, and finding his room, the McCoy brood entered.

Kirk looked around the barren, standard issue double and could hardly wait for his parents and siblings to clear the atmosphere so he could really relax and hopefully find something in common with his roommate. Not having any friends on Earth Kirk had opted for a random room assignment so at this point he still did not know who his roommate would be. Hopefully he would be a lot like Kirk. Smart, well-rounded, and fun.

After unpacking most of Kirk's clothes and bedding, Kirk finally convinced his parents to let him finish the rest later so that they could head off to dinner. Making sure that none of his things had migrated past his half of the room and that Ella hadn't left her stuffed rabbit, Cadbury, in his room they headed out.

A non-descript family restaurant, two spilled sodas, an Ella tantrum, no less than five separate emotional crying sessions from mom, and an outraged, "100 credits!" from McCoy the dinner was over. Heading back across the campus Uhura was holding Ella's hand and they were jabbering in Italian.

When they reached his dorm Nyota told Ella it was time to say good-bye.

"Buh-bye! I love you and I promise to let you sleep in your room when you come back, but it's still my room cause Uhura and I have to share when you're there." Kirk laughed at his little sister and held out his arms. She reached from Uhura to Kirk and hugged him tightly. Uhura finally extracted the little girl from Kirk and grinned at him.

This was awkward, the siblings were so close in age and with any luck Uhura would be at Starfleet this time next year, but it was weird to think they weren't going to be around each other all the time anymore.

"So....." Kirk grinned.

"So....." Uhura matched it. Kirk held out his arms and Uhura flew into them.

"I'm gonna miss you, ya know?" She nodded into his neck and fought to keep the hot tears from spilling onto his collar.

"I'm gonna miss you too. You call me every week. Like you promised, okay?" Kirk grunted.

"Promise." Hugging tightly one last time the young girl looked at her parents who were waiting patiently for the brother and sister to finish. Slowly, she moved away from her brother and gathered Ella.

"We'll just hang out over by the library until you guys finish." She smiled and headed off with Ella, chatting in what Kirk believed to be Orion. Kirk recognized that he better start paying more attention to his sister's languages if he was going to be successful at Starfleet.

Kirk focused his attention on his parents. His father had his arm wrapped around his emotional mother. Kirk shuffled his feet nervously and finally grinned at his father.

"You know son I remember the day you were born like it was just yesterday...all that anxiousness and waiting and your mother tellin' me she was never gonna let me near her again and then there you were. Perfect and just exactly like I had imagined a million times. I kinda feel like I'm losin' ya again, ya bein' so far away from us and I don't like it." Kirk opened his mouth to reassure his father, but McCoy held up a hand in protest.

"But............I know how much Starfleet means to ya and I reckon, I've gotta let you go sometime. I know yer mother probably doesn't agree, but we can't hold on to ya forever. So, I just want ya to know that we're proud of ya. Always have been and always will be. You just remember to call us plenty and I think you mother'll be fine." Nyota let out a strangled sob in punctuation and Kirk wrapped his arms around both of his parents.

"I love you guys. I promise I'll call a lot. Especially for help with my language requirement." Nyota threw a reproachful look at her son and then smiled.

"We love you Kirk." He hugged his parents one last time and then turned and entered his dorm. Racing to the upstairs landing his watched his parents make their way across the campus towards the library and hoped his roommate would arrive soon so he didn't have to think about the ever increasing distance between himself and everyone he had ever loved.

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"TAG! You're it!" Ella exclaimed gleefully and then took off after before Uhura could catch her. Ella was exhilarated. Growing up on a star ship had its advantages, but it also had disadvantages. For instance, advantage, plenty of nooks and crannies for hide and seek and disadvantage, absolutely no space to play tag. As Ella raced around in an arbitrary fashion simply seeking to avoid her older sister with no destination in mind Uhura was thinking about leaving her brother and deciding to start a countdown until she could join him here at the Academy.

Since both of their minds were occupied neither noticed the figure on the fringes of their game until Ella faked left and Uhura, running full speed, slammed into a body and both forms hit the ground hard.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, are you okay?" Uhura flipped herself over and hovered over the figure on his back. She took the time to notice his blond hair and nicely tanned skin.

"Uh, yeah, I think I'm fine. It's my stuff I'm worried about." Uhura looked around at the chaos the collision had caused. His large duffel was laying haphazardly and some PADDs and texts he had been carrying were strewn about the immediate area. They began to gather his belongings and as she handed the last book to the boy she noticed Ella staring wide eyed at the young man.

Uhura finally looked her victim in the eyes and was startled to see the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen. They were like ice! He smirked at her as if he could read her thoughts and she blushed.

"I'm sorry...you look very familiar...do I know you?" The boy studied Uhura for a long moment.

"Uh, no, if I had met you before, I'd remember it." He looked down at the PADD in his hand and then back at Uhura.

"Do you know where Dormitory E is?" Uhura nodded.

"Yes, it's right over there." Uhura turned and indicated the direction. Ella had gotten over her shock and was now firmly by Uhura's side.

"We just left my brother there. He's starting at the Academy this year." The boy nodded.

"Well, I'd better go. Room 258 waits for no man." He smirked and Uhura couldn't suppress her answering smile.

"Hey! That's Kirk's room! My brother, you're his roommate!" The boy didn't smile and instead looked pensive.

"What's your brother's name?" Uhura's smile sagged slightly.

"Kirk, Kirk McCoy, and this is Ella," she gestured to the child. "I'm Uhura. Our parents are Dr. Leonard McCoy and Nyota McCoy, the CMO and CCO on board the starship Enterprise." The boy leaned back and studied her closely.

"Really? My father works on the Enterprise as well." Uhura was excited over the prospect of finding some additional common ground with the exceedingly gorgeous young cadet.

"Oh, I know everyone on the ship, who's your father?" The boy paused for a long moment.

"James Tiberius Kirk, the Captain, I'm Hatfield."

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**What?! What?! Kirk has a child? Oh, come on, like you're surprised. :) One more chapter that I'll post tomorrow morning before work just to spread it out some. **


	10. Ding Dong! The Bells Are Gonna Chime

**Okay, so it's late, but I'm buying forgiveness, isn't that called the sale of indulgences, whatever, with an additional epilogue and the first one shot of the five drabbles of McCoy and Uhura baby world...That story, since it's a piggyback of this story, is called Just McCoys....**

**Oh, and the epilogue doesn't really have any McCoy or Nyota in it, but it's still with this story and I think you'll like it if you give it a chance... ;)**

Nyota Uhura didn't do nervous. She did happy. Pissed off. Sometimes sad. A handful of times on the U.S.S. Enterprise she did edgy, but never full on nervous. Until now. She glanced down at her shoes to check for any scuffs. Satisfied that they were still pristine she looked back at the double doors closed ominously in front of her. She wished her Leo were with her. He always knew what to say to calm her down. Exactly how to make her relax. Whoa. That was a dangerous train of thought. That's how they had ended up with Ella. A calm down session after Kirk's disastrous fifteenth birthday party and a couple months later.....SURPRISE!

She smiled at the memory. She wouldn't trade Ella for anything, but she was done having children. Besides Leonard threatened to divorce her if she didn't stop being, "so damn hot and equally fertile." He had reminded her that he wasn't, "made of money." And kids cost, "so damn much." He was adorable when he pouted. Not much longer now. She nodded as a young friend of Uhura's passed her.

"Are you okay Mrs. McCoy?" Nyota nodded not trusting herself to speak through her emotions brought on by reminiscing. The girl grasped Nyota's hand.

"Don't worry. Uhura will be fine. You just call me if you need anything." Uhura nodded at the girl and squeezed her hand reassuringly. The girl smiled widely and headed past Uhura. The doors opened and Uhura walked quickly past all the people watching. For being someone who was so famous for their world saving exploits Nyota never got used to being in the spotlight.

Moving quickly to the front she turned and watched the other people following her and then the moment came that she had been dreading all day. The doors closed. A familiar tune started and when the doors opened again there was Uhura on her father's arm and in the most beautiful white gown. She couldn't believe her baby was getting married already.

She glanced at the groom, young Hatfield Kirk, who was smiling widely at Uhura McCoy and trying desperately not to cry in front of the large gathering of people. She caught her son Kirk's gaze as he rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders. He had sworn he was going to be a bachelor forever, but if the attentions of the Maid of Honor were any indication, that might not be the case.

When Uhura had been handed off to her groom and the ceremony started her husband joined her in their pew and took her hand. She smiled at him and kissing the back of her hand he turned back to watch his daughter get married. She almost asked him how he was holding up so well at his daughter's wedding when she remembered they hypo on their dresser this morning. _Dirty little cheater!_

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The wedding had gone spectacularly and everyone was outside the reception venue to see the young couple off on their honeymoon. Three weeks on Orion. She glanced at her husband's tight lipped grimace and remembered his reaction to the destination news.

_"Orion! That's just an entire planet of sex and disease. Danger too, all wrapped up in darkness..."_

_"And silence?" Nyota had helpfully chimed in as she worked on a report she had to complete for the captain._

_"Well, yes." She stopped scribbling on her PADD and looked up at him._

_"I thought that was space." He furrowed his brow at her._

_"What?!?!" She smirked._

_"You said SPACE was disease and danger wrapped in darkness and silence. Not Orion." He looked genuinely baffled for a few moments._

_"Well, Orion too and don't look at me like that. She could come back with some strange alien bug or worse, pregnant!" Nyota moved over to her husband and pulled him into an embrace._

_"And would that be so bad? I mean, look at us, I got pregnant about five seconds after we got married." He still didn't smile._

_"We were older and wiser." She shook her head in negative._

_"Actually, I was only a few years older than Uhura is now." McCoy growled at her._

_"Well, a few years was longer back then!" She laughed at him and he put his forehead against hers._

_"What am I gonna do?" She pecked him on the lips gently. _

_"You're going to be fine. You're not going to __**do**__ anything." He grumbled something about horny kids and making sure Hatfield knew exactly what a eunuch was but finally gave her the famous McCoy grin._

_"We turned out pretty well didn't we." She smiled at him._

_"Better than best." She pulled his lips to hers. They didn't speak again for several hours. _

"What are you smiling at? I know what he's smiling for." McCoy indicated Hatfield who was beaming down at Uhura as the prepared to exit the hall.

"Just remembering." He snorted.

"Yah, me too. I was just remembering when my little girl was UNTOUCHED AND SINGLE!" The people closest to them turned to look and see what caused the outburst. Nyota smiled graciously until the people turned back around.

"Get a hold of yourself Leonard McCoy. You have battled Romulans from the future. You've seen the scariest diseases the universe has to offer. You've survived impossible situations with even more impossible odds." He crossed his arms and with his bottom lip slightly stuck out Nyota thought her looked more like a petulant child then a father at his daughter's wedding.

Suddenly Kirk slid next to the McCoys.

"Well, hello there family." Nyota rolled her eyes and McCoy groaned.

"Jim, I'm not in the mood." Jim smiled wide.

"Why not? Our kids are getting married. Soon there will be babies. I mean, Orion for their honeymoon, you know there's going to be some freaky..." Jim Kirk finally noticed McCoy's expression and amended his statement.

"...conversations about how un-freaky and ridiculously innocent the whole honeymoon thing was." Nyota breathed a sigh of relief. Even if it was a terrible lie and a completely awkward way to finish the sentence at least he hadn't said what she thought he was going to say.

Ella raced up to her parents with her flower girl dress flying behind her.

"Daddy! Daddy!" He scooped her into his arms for a big hug.

"Yes Ella Ella?" She scrunched her nose. She hated it when her parent's and siblings teased her. One day she was going to be a grown up with kids and she was never going to tease them. Well, maybe a little.

"Matt Richards is a butthead..." Nyota turned sharply to her daughter.

"Ella!" The little girl rolled her eyes heavenward and tossed her arms in the air.

"Well, he is a butthead! What else should I call him? He kissed me. On the mouth! I mean, is that even allowed?" McCoy turned to his wife and she could already see where it was headed.

"That most certainly is not allowed. Where is this Matt Richards? I think Daddy needs to have a talk with him." Ella smiled at her dad.

"No you don't Daddy. I took care of it all by myself." Nyota lowered herself to her daughter's level.

"Ella, what did you do?" The little girl pushed her shoulders back with pride.

"I said, 'Matt Richards, you are a butthead and your mouth tastes like replicator pizza.' And then I punched him in the stomach." Nyota turned to her husband.

"Well?" Leonard swung his daughter into the air.

"Well what? Matt Richards _IS_ a butthead."

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**Don't be a Matt Richards...post a review... thanks. **


	11. So Young, The Instant Queen

**FINAL CHAPTER...NO MCCOY OR UHURA, BUT I STILL LIKE IT. HOPE YOU DO TOO. **

Sparks showered him like the rice on his wedding day. He raced down the hallway at a speed he had never thought himself capable of reaching. If he had run this fast in basic training he could have avoided a lot of push up punishments. He lurched as another hit rolled through the ship like an earthquake and pulled his communicator from his pocket as he slammed into railing of the narrow walkway he was traversing.

"Tell me something good Kirk. I don't want to hear anything else negative right now." The communicator fell silent for a moment before his best friend's voice answered back. Strained and clearly worried, but professional as always.

"Captain, it's not looking good. We're still engaged. We've attempted to evade several times, but it's not working. The shields can't take much more. The dilithium crystals could cause a chain reaction and leading to an explosion if we put them under any more strain." His icy blue eyes hardened as he glanced around at the obvious damage to his ship.

"Where's your sister? Is she on the bridge?" He tried to keep the worry out of his voice. He was the captain of the U.S.S. Neisson and he had to keep it together. Yes, first and foremost he was responsible to Uhura, but he was also responsible to every crew member aboard this vessel. They all had families: mothers, sisters, husbands, cousins, children. Families that entrusted him to keep them safe. He knew, as much as everyone says that being in the military is a dangerous occupation, most people still expected him to keep everyone safe.

"She's, well, don't go crazy, but she's down in engineering. Below decks. She's trying to keep the crystals from overheating the core." He forced himself to keep his voice steady.

"What?!? Who's with her?"

"No one. She sent everyone to the upper decks. She's alone, sir." Kirk inwardly cursed and slammed his communicator shut. He turned away from the direction of the bridge and started racing to the lower decks. He raced past a turbo lift. They didn't have any power anyway. All power was being directed to keep the ship from exploding.

Racing down passageway after passageway he was slowly making progress towards the engineering sector of the ship. Passing fewer and fewer crew personnel he hurried with no regard to whether they remembered to properly address or salute him while they were working. Their dedication to saving the Neisson was respect enough for him. After what seemed an eternity he reached the engineering deck. Ducking below a fallen gang plank he searched for her. He finally noticed her small feet and legs dangling from beneath some machinery.

"Lieutenant, what are you doing?" She didn't seem surprised by his presence. He heard a groan, presumably from her, as she strained to tighten something. Sliding out from her work she barely glanced in his direction as she raced across to check the display monitors. There was a symphony of swelling swishes, a cacophony of complaining controls, and a wailing of warning warps. This was not the lullaby the ship usually sung to him. No comforting sounds here. Only panic and he was feeling his own begin to rise.

"Lieutenant, I asked you a question." She didn't pause to look at him as she began keying in commands and desperately turning knobs.

"I'm saving our asses, Captain." He finally grabbed her and impeded her progress to check on the chambers.

"What are you doing Uhura? You're risking your life. You're risking our child's life. If you aren't gonna think of yourself then at least think of Kirk and our son, August, and me." She glared at him so fiercely that when she raised her arm he was prepared for the sting of her striking him, but instead she grasped his face and leaned forward so that they were barely a breath apart.

"That _is _who I'm thinking about...and the crew." She was pressed so closely to him that he could feel the gentle swell of her stomach. She was just beginning to show that she was carrying their son.

"Okay. We'll do it together then." She didn't look at him but moved to work on the console behind him.

"Really, Hatfield Lee Kirk is going to help with an engineering emergency? I thought you said you were never going to touch a ship's engine again after you blew up my final two days before graduation and I had to fix it." Turning, he pulled himself up to his full height of nearly 6'4 and studied her over a foot shorter frame seriously.

"That wasn't my fault."

"Riiight." She giggled and he couldn't resist her. He never could. Moving to kiss her he felt her give in to his advances. In the back of his mind he knew that they were in the middle of a crisis and he was the captain, but he needed her. She always knew how to make things better.

She was exactly like her mother. Fiery, beautiful and intelligent. Unafraid to call him on anything, but she was also steady, sure, calming and content to let him lead the relationship. Which was exactly what he had needed when he met her. Running after her little sister and slamming into his life. Quite literally.

He had so many issues back then. Abandonment, daddy issues, that turned into I was the product of a one-night stand and Daddy didn't even know I existed issues, and I don't need you clouding up my life issues. Thank God for her brother. When your girlfriend is your best friend's kid sister it certainly makes you tow the line. Not that he wouldn't have anyway, but with Kirk constantly watching his every move his moral compass was more due north than the North Star.

Another hit rocked the ship and they were pulled apart. Moving to the controls Uhura began working quickly and efficiently. Hatfield wasn't as fast as she was but she spent most of her time down here while he was on the bridge.

"You know, I still wish you had chosen communications." She smirked to herself. Almost as soon as she had arrived at the academy she realized that languages were more of a hobby for her, but engines, transporters, and warps. That was her passion. Uncle Scotty couldn't have been prouder. She swore she saw a tear on graduation day. Kirk's communicator chirped and he opened it with one hand while he worked on the console simultaneously.

"Kirk here."

"Hat, reinforcements just arrived. The Klingons are now under heavy Federation fire. We've been ordered to fall back to a defensive position." Hatfield could practically see Kirk McCoy's huge, contagious smile.

"Then fall back! Kirk out." He turned to look at his wife. She smiled at him and he moved to her wrapping his arm around her small frame. He noticed for the first time the noise seemed to be quieting and the warning indicators were no longer flashing. He swore he could hear the ship's sigh of relief.

Standing in engineering Hatfield and Uhura looked around the heart of the ship. It didn't have the breathtaking bridge views, or the shiny new equipment of sickbay, but it was the Neisson's heart and it seemed appropriate. The belly of the beast, as it were.

And it was there where a new family was begun. A family that had really begun long ago on the U.S.S. Enterprise, but was coming to fruition now and there they stood. A father, strong and tall, in regal command gold, a mother, beautiful and calm, in striking engineering red, and a baby still too small to really understand, but starting to discover the overwhelming love his parents had for him and each other and the amusement his father felt at the smudge of dirt on his mother's nose.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**That's all she wrote. Thank you for sticking with the McCoy brood all this time and review on your way out if you have a minute. :) Thanks!**


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